Alex Singleton
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
BOBCAT CALENDAR: Alex Singleton and Dakota Prukop Led MSU to a Home Win over Portland State Today in 2014
11/8/2020 9:00:00 AM | Football
Today's victory set up some late-season fireworks for the Bobcats
A day-by-day look at Bobcat football history...
November 8
SPOTLIGHT: Montana State's season hit a pivot point today in 2014, when the 15th-ranked Bobcats hosted Portland State.
The Cats stood 6-3 overall, 4-1 in the Big Sky entering today's game, and although 3-6 Portland State had struggled against a difficult schedule, but Nigel Burton's final Vikings squad comprised the core of a team that finished second in the Big Sky and advanced to the FCS Playoffs just one year later under coach Bruce Barnum.
Part of that day's context was what lay directly ahead. The next week's game against Idaho State was already being billed as a play-in game for the FCS Playoffs and looming the week after that was Cat-Griz. So MSU's home game against Portland State held considerable importance.
The Cats struck quick. Gunnar Brekke took a handoff on the day's second play from scrimmage and dashed 71 yards for a touchdown. Mitch Griebel ran in the conversion, and MSU led 8-0 less than one minute into the game.
The Bobcat defense struggled in 2014. There's really no way to spin that. On Portland State's first drive, Shaq Richard scampered 64 yards to the Bobcat one, and crafty quarterback Josh Kraght scored on the next play, and PSU was within one point, 8-7.
The game played out as a back-and-forth affair for a fair while. Dakota Prukop scored on a nine-yard run with eight minutes to play in the first quarter, and PSU's Jonathan Gonzales ended that period with a 37-yard field goal.
The second quarter, scoreless for more than 14 minutes, ended with a flourish. The Cats marched 56 yards in 10 plays, scoring with 32 seconds remaining, to take a 22-10 lead. The Vikings answered, finishing the half with a 41-yard field goal by Gonzales as time expired.
The Vikings opened the second half by driving to midfield, but a Kyle Loomis punt pinned MSU at the two. The Cats escaped the shadow of their goal post, but Trevor Bolton's punt was blocked and turned into a safety to trim the lead to 22-15.
A wacky game moved back onto the rails from that point forward. The teams traded punts until early in the fourth quarter, when the Bobcats began a drive deep in their own territory. Jayshawn Gates took a sweep 32 yards to the MSU 49, and after an eight-yard run by Gunnar Brekke Prukop completed a short pass to Chad Newell that accounted for 30 yards when it was over, pushing the Cats to the PSU 13. On the next play Prukop scampered in, and the Bobcats held a 29-15 lead.
The Vikings staged several more threats. On the first, Gonzales missed a 56-yard field goal. After an Anthony Knight fumble at the PSU 31, the Viking marched to the Bobcat 26 before a Bryson Keeton pass breakup set up a fourth-and-10 and Odin Coe hurried Kraght into an incompletion to give MSU possession. MSU punted back to Portland State, but the Bobcats against turned PSU over on downs. Another Bobcat punt - this time by Jake Bleskin, pinning PSU at the two - set the tage for a long Vikings drive. Kraght threw a 50-yard touchdown pass with 45 seconds remaining to again draw PSU within one score, but when the Vikings' on-side kick rolled out of bounds the Bobcats had their victory. Dakota Prukop only threw for 93 yards, but he rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Singleton dominated for the Bobcat defense, with 17 total tackles and three behind the line of scrimmage.
The Cats beat Idaho State a week later, before losing in Missoula. One day later, Montana State earned an at large selection to the FCS Playoffs.
BONUS: Montana State earned its final win of the 1947 season 73 years ago today, beating Portland 20-13 at Mitchell Field in Anaconda. While there's no evidence that Butte's Jim Sweeney suited up for Portland that day not far from his hometown and against the school he would lead to football glory less than two decades later. The Cats opened fast, with Adam Marshall scoring from one yard out in the first quarter after center Charles Masten had intercepted a UP pass. Marshall scored again on an end-around in the second quarter, and just before halftime John O'Laughlin's 24-yard run set up a one-yard plunge by John Heine. Portland's offense finally got going in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Dan Christianson's effective passing arrived at the same time as a snowstorm. He scored Portland's first touchdown after a series of passes moved his team deep into Bobcat territory. The game's final score came when Christianson found Jack Oberweiser in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
The site of this game is worth a quick comment. Mitchell Stadium was fairly new at that point, dedicated in 1939 before a game against Butte Central and built in cooperation with the Works Progress Administration.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2014 - MSU 29, Portland State 22
2008 - MSU 25, at Northern Arizona 23
2003 - at Eastern Washington 34, MSU 25
1997 - Cal Poly 20, MSU 19
1986 - at Idaho 44, MSU 17
1980 - MSU 21, North Dakota State 19
1975 - MSU 31, at Northern Arizona 17
1969 - at Eastern Michigan 31, MSU 7
1958 - at Cal Poly 16, MSU 6
1952 - at Idaho State 35, MSU 12
1947 - MSU 20, Portland 13 at Anaconda
November 8
SPOTLIGHT: Montana State's season hit a pivot point today in 2014, when the 15th-ranked Bobcats hosted Portland State.
The Cats stood 6-3 overall, 4-1 in the Big Sky entering today's game, and although 3-6 Portland State had struggled against a difficult schedule, but Nigel Burton's final Vikings squad comprised the core of a team that finished second in the Big Sky and advanced to the FCS Playoffs just one year later under coach Bruce Barnum.
Part of that day's context was what lay directly ahead. The next week's game against Idaho State was already being billed as a play-in game for the FCS Playoffs and looming the week after that was Cat-Griz. So MSU's home game against Portland State held considerable importance.
The Cats struck quick. Gunnar Brekke took a handoff on the day's second play from scrimmage and dashed 71 yards for a touchdown. Mitch Griebel ran in the conversion, and MSU led 8-0 less than one minute into the game.
The Bobcat defense struggled in 2014. There's really no way to spin that. On Portland State's first drive, Shaq Richard scampered 64 yards to the Bobcat one, and crafty quarterback Josh Kraght scored on the next play, and PSU was within one point, 8-7.
The game played out as a back-and-forth affair for a fair while. Dakota Prukop scored on a nine-yard run with eight minutes to play in the first quarter, and PSU's Jonathan Gonzales ended that period with a 37-yard field goal.
The second quarter, scoreless for more than 14 minutes, ended with a flourish. The Cats marched 56 yards in 10 plays, scoring with 32 seconds remaining, to take a 22-10 lead. The Vikings answered, finishing the half with a 41-yard field goal by Gonzales as time expired.
The Vikings opened the second half by driving to midfield, but a Kyle Loomis punt pinned MSU at the two. The Cats escaped the shadow of their goal post, but Trevor Bolton's punt was blocked and turned into a safety to trim the lead to 22-15.
A wacky game moved back onto the rails from that point forward. The teams traded punts until early in the fourth quarter, when the Bobcats began a drive deep in their own territory. Jayshawn Gates took a sweep 32 yards to the MSU 49, and after an eight-yard run by Gunnar Brekke Prukop completed a short pass to Chad Newell that accounted for 30 yards when it was over, pushing the Cats to the PSU 13. On the next play Prukop scampered in, and the Bobcats held a 29-15 lead.
The Vikings staged several more threats. On the first, Gonzales missed a 56-yard field goal. After an Anthony Knight fumble at the PSU 31, the Viking marched to the Bobcat 26 before a Bryson Keeton pass breakup set up a fourth-and-10 and Odin Coe hurried Kraght into an incompletion to give MSU possession. MSU punted back to Portland State, but the Bobcats against turned PSU over on downs. Another Bobcat punt - this time by Jake Bleskin, pinning PSU at the two - set the tage for a long Vikings drive. Kraght threw a 50-yard touchdown pass with 45 seconds remaining to again draw PSU within one score, but when the Vikings' on-side kick rolled out of bounds the Bobcats had their victory. Dakota Prukop only threw for 93 yards, but he rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Singleton dominated for the Bobcat defense, with 17 total tackles and three behind the line of scrimmage.
The Cats beat Idaho State a week later, before losing in Missoula. One day later, Montana State earned an at large selection to the FCS Playoffs.
BONUS: Montana State earned its final win of the 1947 season 73 years ago today, beating Portland 20-13 at Mitchell Field in Anaconda. While there's no evidence that Butte's Jim Sweeney suited up for Portland that day not far from his hometown and against the school he would lead to football glory less than two decades later. The Cats opened fast, with Adam Marshall scoring from one yard out in the first quarter after center Charles Masten had intercepted a UP pass. Marshall scored again on an end-around in the second quarter, and just before halftime John O'Laughlin's 24-yard run set up a one-yard plunge by John Heine. Portland's offense finally got going in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Dan Christianson's effective passing arrived at the same time as a snowstorm. He scored Portland's first touchdown after a series of passes moved his team deep into Bobcat territory. The game's final score came when Christianson found Jack Oberweiser in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
The site of this game is worth a quick comment. Mitchell Stadium was fairly new at that point, dedicated in 1939 before a game against Butte Central and built in cooperation with the Works Progress Administration.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2014 - MSU 29, Portland State 22
2008 - MSU 25, at Northern Arizona 23
2003 - at Eastern Washington 34, MSU 25
1997 - Cal Poly 20, MSU 19
1986 - at Idaho 44, MSU 17
1980 - MSU 21, North Dakota State 19
1975 - MSU 31, at Northern Arizona 17
1969 - at Eastern Michigan 31, MSU 7
1958 - at Cal Poly 16, MSU 6
1952 - at Idaho State 35, MSU 12
1947 - MSU 20, Portland 13 at Anaconda
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